Why I Translate Older Series:

Recently I've gotten quite a few new inquiries regarding my works as a manga translator and requests for various series that others find they wish for me to do. I am happy to hear from so many new voices and those who wish for me to go at various manga series that could get lost in the cracks. But recently, I've gotten a couple inquiries asking me pretty much the same question: why don't I do a manga series that is still running...or one that is starting out from the beginning? Why am I so obsessed in doing these old manga series that I know no one is going to take the time to read with their weekly load of stuff and with the massive amount of stuff that's out there? Well...I do have a few comments to say about it that I'm going to just mention here and now to probably see what happens:

-First of all, I did actually translate one manga when it was running from start to finish...but it was my only one. It was Yoshio Sawai's "Chagecha"...which lasted all of eight weeks. I did that mostly because I'm a major Bo-bobo fan and I sort of wanted to see what he would do next. Unfortunately when I did translate the series, I did notice various aspects both about myself and about the world in general that made me apprehensive on taking a new series, including "when should I translate this series?", "won't someone complain about how rushed it is?", "what if someone else writes a script for the next chapter...and it's better than mine? (since I really admit to not being the best out there)", "will I have time to do it?", "will the raw be available week after week to do like the big series that have the sources out there to get them almost instantly?", and so on. Ultimately, I sort of got way too stressed when handling a weekly...and once "Chagecha" did get cancelled, I sort of felt a tad relieved that I somehow made it out of there with my head in tact.

-Admittedly one of the major reasons I don't do an ongoing series is just the major amount of time and consideration you have to do in order to do it. Translating a series week after week requires that you stay on your toes and be prepared for the next raw to hit so you can prepare to continue the story. There are always going to be fears that someone is going to worry about you not having the raw done on time or that someone else is going to translate it before you making you completely unneeded or worthless. By committing to a series that still is running, you are committing yourself to not be able to do things at your own schedule and are forced to do it at the schedule of a community or of timing...and somehow with the stresses I have in other aspects of my life, I don't know if I can cope with yet another.

-On the other hand, the main reason I prefer to do older series is mostly two fold. First is that I can do them at my own pace: since the story is already completed, I don't have to worry about what will happen next week and lose control of the works and if it will be the next series on the chopping block like "Chagecha" was. And the other...is just to get these stories out there in their own amazing ways. There is so much manga history and storytelling that is unknown to audiences and to concentrate on "going forwards" instead of "moving backwards" just makes it feel like all of this stuff came from a void of nowhere and that the things that were written today are "way better" than what was done in the past. Preferably I want all opinions and options to be out there: sure the old series aren't going to have the fanbases or the massive amount of readers as something running now in a magazine, but I want to read these older series and I want others to enjoy them and make their own opinions and ideas about them as well.

-On the other hand, I do admit that while I don't mind telling "newer tales", I mostly prefer to translate "one-shots". With a one-shot, the story just starts and finished in one chapter and, regardless of whether it becomes an ongoing series or not, you get a good idea of the author's intentions and ideas and what or where it can go if continued onwards. Maybe someday I will do an ongoing series again...but I guess it all depends on if it interests me enough...or if someone can convince me otherwise regarding some of my long-held beliefs I developed due to what I went through with "Chagecha". But if you have a one-shot, even if its one for a manga that's about to become a new series, give it a whirl and I may decide to do it. (got one planned hopefully to get done)

Hope that clears some things up. I'm always open for suggestions but I guess you just have to know where I stand.

I think you have a very solid point, but I think that's mostly based on your previous experience with Chagecha. I think if you went to do it on your pace and do not try to "speedtranslate" it, would result in a new experience that you may not find very tiring..Thanks for all you've done so far with your projects, I like them all.

I don't want to speed translate but my problem is simply that I get too paranoid with new series that it's tough to really have an exclusive right to them and someone is bound to come along to take it over and do it better. I guess that's just a matter of pride but I can't help it.